Raspberry Red
by GleeGeneration23
Summary: For years Draco has never really considered Daphne's little sister as someone other than Daphne's little sister. Therefore he's surprised (and maybe a little discomforted) when he sees her at Blaise's party in a red dress that makes her look...well...highly noticeable. First Draco/Astoria Fanfiction.


**Hi so here is another story. I've wanted to tackle the relationship between Draco and Astoria for months and I've finally come across a storyline.**

 **I don't hold the believe that all Slytherins are evil. I wanted to show that in this fic and i don't cater to the belief that Draco was a villain. I don't deny that he was an idiot but i don't hate the character, neither do i hate Snape. I think that while he lets his house get away with a lot i think there are some incidents he doesn't forgive. Your welcome to your own opinions but that's mine and please respect that. Also i think that the Slytherins did hate Umbridge simply from an educational standpoint.**

 **There might be some trigger warnings in this story so please bare that in mind.**

 **Disclaimer-Nothing is mine.**

 **Please read and review.**

* * *

Raspberry Red

For years Draco has never really considered Daphne's little sister as someone other than Daphne's little sister. Therefore he's surprised (and maybe a little discomforted) when he sees her at Blaise's party in a red dress that makes her look...well...highly noticeable.

* * *

"How did I get talked into this?" Draco asked Theodore as they walked through the corridors.

"Stop complaining" Theo said irritably. "Blaise is gonna be there as is Pansy..." he caught the look on Draco's face and cracked his face into a grin that showed his dimples and made him look less like the haughty pure blood that he was and more like a human being, he rolled his eyes.

"I would be surprised if Blaise wasn't there" Draco said dryly. "Considering this is Blaise's birthday were sneaking out the castle to celebrate. It's a good thing Professor Snape is so biased to us all that we can get away with doing this in one of the dungeons"

Theo nodded in agreement. Their Head of House's bias was something that both exasperated the Slytherins on some occasions and amused them most of the time. Snape may be the more open teacher at Hogwarts when it came to favouring students but Draco knew (due to the sheer fact that Potter, Weasley, Weasley's idiotic family and Granger were still lurking around the castle like bugs begging to be stepped on) that Dumbledore favourited students managed to get away with murder just as well.

However Blaise was a good friend...a friend unlike Crabbe and Goyle who were little more Draco privately considered as means to an end. Blaise at least was promised to gain more than ten OWLs in his upcoming exams and had the brains to do it, so Draco was going to the party dressed in comfortable black trousers and a form fitting black V Neck and feeling moderately pleased with himself.

The dungeons were in full swing. The stone was a light shimmering shade of green that Draco put down to Daphne Greengrass a pretty brunette with a sister a year younger than him who was arguably the best in Charms after Granger. Silver streamers decorate the ceiling and he's rather pleased that the Houses best thieves Max Rankin and Jexica Reynolds have managed to grab some food and good alcohol from the kitchens.

Draco had bought Blaise for his birthday a very fine eagle quill and ink that changes colour depending on what mood the writer is in. Theo had gone with his simple big box of Honeydukes white chocolate and salted caramel fudge. This in Draco's opinion is a bit of a con because Blaise loves the caramel ones and Theo loves the white chocolate but they sleep in the same dorm so he makes nice with this.

"Draco" says a voice to his left and he turns to see Daphne grinning at him. It seems most of the fifth year, fourth and sixth have been invited to this thing. Daphne looks lovely in a dark blue dress that flares around her knees in a soft feather material while her bodice and long sleeves are embroidered in sliver. Her hair is tied up in an elegant knot and Draco cannot blame Theo in that moment for refusing to take his eyes of her.

"Hey Daphne" he says grinning. Daphne is a great mate. She helps keeps Pansy in check and is kind to the first years. In truth she would make a much better prefect. The only downside (depending on how you view it) is that her mother and father are extremely anti, The Dark Lord.

"Anything interesting?" Draco asks. Daphne is also notoriously famous for gossip.

She shrugs.

"Nothing much. I think Crabbe is trying to chat up Nicola Lane but she's half curled up in Alexander Clare's lap so I don't think anything is going to happen there, however I think that's it. For once this house has had a quiet year"

She stays silent and Draco knows that she is thinking about Umbridge. Daphne hates the woman on principal. She's a smart student her sister like her and the Greengrass girls he knows hate not being able to learn. And there is the blood quill...most of the girls hate that especially since she used it on a first year in their house and he came through the portrait hole in tears clutching his bloody hand which was embossed in the word Blood Traitor (as if Umbridge has the right!)

He nods his head to her and Daphne's dark eyes meet his with a silent look. Theo swallows. Her, Blaise, Draco and Theo are all sitting their exams and they all know the Ministry has done no student at Hogwarts regardless of their blood status or house any favours this year.

"Is your sister here?" he asks as Theo goes to find the three of them shots of Firewhiskey. Daphne nods.

Draco knows Astoria Greengrass. Astoria Greengrass is a year younger than her sister, she has the same dark hair, dark eyes and high cheek bones. She also has a gentler demeanour. It's more than common to come back to the Common Room to see Astoria Greengrass curled up in a blanket with a cup of tea and a novel either muggle or wizard.

Astoria Greengrass is not her pretty sister and Draco honestly is surprised that she's come to this thing.

"Where?" he asks looking around. Daphne shoots him a look that tells him clearly that she thinks he is an idiot and needs his eyes testing. Daphne has always managed to be clear with her expressions rather than her words. Draco suspects that this might be the reason Theo is both terrified and half in love with her.

"Over there" she says and Draco can see her resisting the urge to roll her eyes with great difficulty.

Draco follows her eyes and then feels his jaw drop because...that...that...is not Astoria Greengrass.

Astoria Greengrass sits in the Common Room in leggings and a thick jumper with fuzzy socks with her hair in a knot with a book and a scowl for anyone who interrupts her. Astoria Greengrass helps first years to the Transfiguration classroom, Astoria Greengrass is a fourteen year old girl who curls under warm blankets in winter. Astoria Greengrass doesn't look...well...sexy...

And she is sexy.

She's in a red dress that falls just below the knee. It's tight fitting the top tight around her breasts (and when did Astoria Greengrass get breasts?) and the skirts is tight fitting to her legs, clinching around her waist with a brown belt. The side of the dress is split showing a shocking amount of toned thigh. Her dark hair a shade lighter than her sister is loose with some pulled back off her face and her eyes are lined heavily making the dark orbs standing out and her lips are a sort of red that makes them stand out from a mile away. She's clutching her bottle in her hand and Draco has to force himself to shut his mouth and swallow before Daphne realises that all the blood in his body has rushed to his lower extremities, and that he's staring at her little sister like his life depends on it and personally ensures that he never hears the end of it.

"Who tarted your sister up?" he asked without thinking.

At once Daphne shot him a look that would have foiled even the most zealous of Death Eaters. Draco resisted the urge to apologise. His father had had no female relatives when he'd been born left alive and his mother had two sisters one they didn't speak to and the other in Azkaban (though he suspected not for long) so therefore he'd had no idea when he'd come to Hogwarts how to react around women. Especially angry women.

"Excuse me?" Daphne said in a terribly cold voice.

"I...err...mean...your sister doesn't usually look like that" he amended.

"Things have changed" Daphne replied coldly.

"I didn't notice" he said thinking he better excuse himself before Daphne got violent.

"Evidently" she said tartly taking her drink of Theo and looking irritable. "And Draco" she said sweetly as he turned to walk away "If you do anything to my sister I will personally hunt down Hermione Granger and ask for her help in learning that castration charm"

Draco decided not to dwell on the nightmares an alliance between Granger and Daphne would bring him. He had to go find Little Greengrass and stop Edmund Nott (Theo's little brother) from drooling on her...and maybe find a blanket to cover all that skin...because Draco was a gentlemen...yes that's what he was.

One look saw Edmund Nott disappear into the darkness and Draco took another moment to admire the red of Astoria's dress against her skin before she turned around glass of the elf made red wine in her long hands and saw him standing there clutching his own glass of firewhiskey and looking no doubt like an idiot.

"Hi Draco" she says pleasantly enough. They knew each other through Daphne but not much else and Draco wanted to kick himself for not doing anything sooner about this terrible lapse in judgement.

"Hello" he says back. "You look nice" nice is a bit of an understatement but Astoria smiles at him. "Thanks" she says taking a sip of wine. "You don't look terrible yourself"

That shouldn't make Draco feel pleased but it does.

"It's nice of Professor Snape to let us do this in the dungeons" she says pleasantly. "Even nicer of him to ignore the alcohol and God only knows what Rankin's found" Draco says keeping his voice steady. Max Rankin is an outrageous rouge in Astoria's year, a dashing thief that nobody would trust and has friends in the lower that low places all over London. Draco would be amazed if this party didn't end with someone getting high.

Astoria laughs the sound clear and perfect like a bell.

"Did you watch the Match?" he asks before kicking himself. The last match resulted in him insulting Potter's mother and the Weasley's and while it resulted in getting them banned some of the more mild mannered members of the house including Daphne had been furious that he should throw up a dead parent in front of someone regardless of blood status and who that boy was.

"No" Astoria said frowning. "I don't really care for sports"

Shit. How was he going to impress her now? Wait? When did he want to impress Astoria Greengrass?

Oh bugger.

"Hey As" said a voice and Draco bristled as Edmund Nott came back around the corner clutching a bottle of wine and leering at Astoria. Draco frowned irritably.

"Hey Ed" she said smiling. "Ready?"

"You're going?" Draco asked. Astoria flicked her dark eyes on him and nodded.

"I told Ed I'd take a walk with him" she says and Edmund Nott offers his arm and Astoria takes it and sweeps past Draco without a word and leaving him standing there looking and feeling quite useless.

Draco downed his firewhiskey debating on whether to stay here or go find Edmund Nott and give him the beat down of his life.

He settled for some fresh air. Blaise was embroiled with Pansy and another girl he was sure was called Rosalie Ferdinand, Daphne and Theo chatting by the fire and Crabbe and Goyle lurking around in the shadows grumbling together.

* * *

He doesn't get very far.

He was right about Edmund Nott. He has none of his brother's charm and none of his brother's intelligence as he seems to have taken Astoria opposite Professor's Snape's room, pushed her up against the wall and stuck his fingers into her mouth.

Astoria for her credit has her wand out and her high heeled foot is practically breaking Edmund's shin but she's struggling and Draco knows it.

With a bang he sends Edmund Nott sprawling back twenty paces and Astoria staggers around him and half into him. She smells like raspberries and she clings to him and Draco realises that she's shaking and her arm is bruised.

Edmund comes back up wand ready but the moment where Draco finally gets to bash the little rat into the floors of the castle is rudely interrupted by Professor Snape who slams open his door looking murderous and takes in the scene before him.

In one second he takes in Astoria still shaking in Draco's arms, Draco's unsaid plea for him to realise what has just happened and Edmund looking vicious. For a split second his gaze softens but before Draco think he's hasn't imagined it due to the anger coursing through his veins but then his teacher's face is quite impassive again.

"Nott fifty points from Slytherin for being an uncouth idiot and a months' worth of detention with me...yes Nott from my own house! I know exactly what happened here, I am not unintelligent and be thankful it's not more"

"She asked for it" Edmund snarls. "Wearing that dress"

"Silence" Professor Snape says in that soft voice of his that stops Draco from cursing Nott till he looks like an ugly sea creature Theo be damned.

"I am not an idiot Nott, and if you value breathing you will never imply that a woman asks for what you have just tried to do. I condone many things from my students but I will not condone that. Especially not in front of my office which has now left me feeling personally violated"

Nott gulps. Astoria shivers. Professor Snape points at inside his office "Inside Nott"

Nott goes shooting another look at Draco that he responds with his best look of distain. He has never managed to make it look as deadly as his mother's but he thinks it's better than nothing.

"Mr Malfoy please escort Miss Greengrass back to the dormitories. There will be no punishment and I will not insult either you or Miss Greengrass by asking that you keep this to yourself's until it's probably dealt with"

With that he slams the door shut leaving the two of them standing in the darkness.

"Come on" Draco says and the two of them go back down the corridors. In truth he doesn't know what to say but Astoria says it for him.

"I never asked him to do anything" she says quietly and Draco nods. "I know" he says quietly. He would say something more but the Greengrass family are notoriously proud and he doesn't want to offend Astoria. Especially not Astoria.

"I won't tell anyone, I'll tell Daphne that you went to bed" he says finally. Astoria nods looking more cool and collected and still endlessly beautiful.

The next weekend out the castle is in a few weeks and as they reach the portrait hole and Astoria gives the password Draco finally musters up his courage to face this pretty girl who's wearing a red dress that makes his brains short circuit.

"Would you like to go to the Three Broomsticks sometime?"

Astoria watches him for a second. "What about dim and dimmer?" she asks with a wry smile and Draco cannot help but grin back. "They can fend for themselves for once" he says.

"If I don't go out with you then you will tell everyone about Nott?" she asks casually.

"No" he replies feeling rather insulted. He is a Malfoy and they have dignity and pride and they don't gossip like ignorant muggles.

Astoria watches him.

"Ok" she says finally and then before he can celebrate this surprising victory that seems to have come out of nowhere another question bursts from him without warning.

"What shade of red is that?"

Astoria shoots him another look that makes him feel like an idiot but she smiles and answers as if she's bemused but not insulted.

"Raspberry" she says finally.

"It looks lovely on you" he says finally.

Astoria inclines her head and then the door slams shut behind her and Draco leans back against the wall and smiles to himself, a private secret smile. He may not have won whatever war is going on inside of him but he knows that he has won a great battle, a victory and the start of something new and promising laid out before him.

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 **And let me know what you think. **


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